Senior Account Clerk

Salary : $59,524.66 – $72,360.45 Annually

Location : Santa Rosa, CA

Job Type: Full-Time

Job Number: 23/05-0403-O

Department: Auditor – Controller – Treasurer – Tax Collector’ Office (AUD)

Opening Date: 05/17/2023

Closing Date: 6/12/2023 11:59 PM Pacific

Position Information

Grow your career in accounting and finance with the County of Sonoma. Multiple opportunities available!

Starting salary up to $34.67/hour ($72,360/year) and a competitive total compensation package!*
Do you have?

• The ability to accurately prepare, maintain, and reconcile financial transactions in a timely manner
• Prior experience in bookkeeping and accounts payable/receivable
• Previous experience processing vendor payments and employee reimbursements
• Experience extracting, and analyzing data, creating reports using financial systems and databases
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, including the ability to effectively interact with employees, managers, vendors, and other agency personnel
• Strong computer skills, including experience with Excel, Outlook, and Word
• Experience working with Enterprise Financial Systems (EFS) is highly desired
• The drive to provide exemplary customer service

If so, apply now and take the first step toward building your career in public service!

Across the County, Senior Account Clerks maintain and review financial and statistical records for their department, agency, and/or commission. Senior Account Clerks may provide direction to other clerical accounting personnel, may guide and train employees, and may participate in the new hire selection process. When you join the County as a Senior Account Clerk you will become a subject matter expert. You will use your independent judgment and discretion to confer with staff, management, and other County departments and agencies regarding best practices and County policies/procedures related to processing and maintaining financial records.

This recruitment is being conducted to fill:

• Two positions in the Auditor-Controller-Treasurer-Tax Collector’s (ACTTC) Office
• Two positions in Sonoma Public Infrastructure, formerly the General Services and Transportation and Public Works Departments

What We Offer

Working at the County of Sonoma offers expansive opportunities for growth and development, the ability to be a part of a challenging and rewarding work environment, and the satisfaction of knowing you’re working to better our communities. You can also look forward to flexible work arrangements and excellent benefits* including:

• A hybrid telework schedule that meets the needs of our staff, department operations, and the communities we serve may be available depending on the assignment
• Eligibility for a salary increase after 1,040 hours (6 months when working full-time) for good work performance; eligibility for a salary increase for good performance every year thereafter, until reaching the top of the salary range
• Competitive vacation and sick leave accruals, 12 paid holidays, and an additional 8 floating holiday hours per year
• County paid 100% premium contribution for the majority of employee-only and employee + family health plan options
• County contribution to a Health Reimbursement Arrangement to help fund post-retirement employee health insurance/benefits
• Retirement fully integrated with Social Security
• May be eligible for up to 8 weeks (320 hours) of Paid Parental Leave after 12 months of County employment

*Salary is negotiable within the established range. Benefits described herein do not represent a contract and may be changed without notice. Additional information can be found in the and our

This employment list may also be used to fill future full-time, part-time, or extra-help (temporary) positions as they occur during the active status of the list. Qualified County employees who wish to be considered for future positions should consider applying to this recruitment.

APPLICATION SUBMISSIONS REQUIRE THE SUPPLEMENTAL QUESTIONNAIRE BE COMPLETED.

Minimum Qualifications

Education and Experience: Any combination of education, training, and experience which would likely provide the required knowledge and abilities. Normally, this would include completion of 12 semester units or 16 quarter units in accounting, record keeping, business math, or a closely related field; and one year of responsible full-time experience which includes the review, processing, and maintenance of fiscal transactions and accounts, or statistical data and records.

OR
Some coursework in accounting, record keeping, business math, or a closely related field, and two years of increasingly responsible full-time experience which includes the review, processing, and maintenance of fiscal transactions and accounts, or statistical data and records.
License: Possession of a valid driver’s license at the appropriate level including special endorsements, as required by the State of California, may be required depending upon assignment to perform the essential job functions of the position.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

Considerable knowledge of: methods, practices, and terminology used in financial and statistical clerical work, including working knowledge of costs and budgetary accounting principles, and double entry bookkeeping; government and departmental policies, regulations, and procedures in order to satisfactorily perform assigned account or statistical record keeping functions, resolve the related problems, or assess acceptability of work performance and procedures; department services, organization, and functions to proficiently plan, prioritize, coordinate, implement, direct, review, and perform work assigned to a clerical accounting section.

Working knowledge of: basic arithmetic to include addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division of whole numbers, fractions, decimals, and derivatives in order to count, calculate, balance, check, and adjust fiscal and/or statistical data; modern office methods and procedures; database, spreadsheet, and word processing applications.

Ability to: exercise judgment and technical skill in performing assigned duties without direct supervision; work with tabular detail such as codes, figures, and numbers; set up and revise account or statistical record keeping procedures and records; review, code, post, adjust, and summarize fiscal transactions or statistical data; maintain and reconcile control records; prepare final reports and statements; oversee the maintenance of financial and statistical records, and act as a subject matter resource to other workers; provide lead direction to other clerical accounting staff; make arithmetic computations rapidly and accurately; use and understand common database, spreadsheet, and word processing applications; transcribe data and record information neatly and legibly; establish and maintain effective working relationships with coworkers and the general public; operate office equipment such as adding machines, calculators, and computers in order to post, balance, summarize, and adjust data; type accurately.

Selection Procedure & Some Helpful Tips When Applying

• Your application information and your responses to the supplemental questions are evaluated and taken into consideration throughout the entire selection process.
• You should list all employers and positions held within the last ten years in the work history section of your application. Be as thorough as possible when responding to the supplemental questions.
• You may include history beyond ten years if related to the position for which you are applying. If you held multiple positions with one employer, list out each position separately.
• Failure to follow these instructions may impact your competitiveness in this process or may result in disqualification.

Please visit to review more detailed information about the application, examination, and department selection processes.

APPLICATION SUBMISSIONS REQUIRE THE SUPPLEMENTAL QUESTIONNAIRE BE COMPLETED.

Responses to supplemental questions will be scored using position-specific criteria. Please provide specific and detailed responses of a reasonable length to allow for a thorough assessment of your qualifications. Responses that state “See Resume” or “See Application” may be considered insufficient and therefore may not be scored.

The selection procedure will consist of the following examination:

An Application & Supplemental Questionnaire Appraisal Examination (weight 100%) will be conducted to evaluate each applicant’s application and supplemental questionnaire for satisfaction of minimum qualifications (pass/not pass); and for educational coursework, training, experience, knowledge, and abilities which relate to this position. Each applicant will be evaluated based on the following criteria:

• Relevance of work history, related experience, and achieved level of education and/or training as described in the application and responses to the supplemental questions.

Candidates demonstrating possession of the minimum qualifications will be placed on an employment list in order of most qualified to least qualified based on the achieved score received in the Application & Supplemental Questionnaire Appraisal Examination which evaluates the education, training, experience, skills, knowledge, abilities, and other qualifications that you demonstrate in your application and/or response to the supplemental questionnaire. Please be aware that resumes and cover letters are not typically evaluated in the Application & Supplemental Questionnaire Appraisal Examination. Scores may be adjusted based on such factors as the number of candidates, anticipated vacancies, past practice, and natural breaks in the scores achieved by this group of candidates.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

A background investigation is required prior to employment. Candidates referred to departments for a selection interview are typically required to sign authorization and release forms enabling such an investigation. Failure to sign prescribed forms will result in the candidate not being considered further for that vacancy. Reference information will not be made available to applicants.

Additional requirements, such as successful completion of a physical exam, drug screen, etc., may apply, depending on the duties and responsibilities of the position. If you receive a conditional job offer for the position, the requirements upon which the offer is contingent will be outlined in the conditional job letter. You may also review the to determine the requirements for this position.

HOW TO APPLY

Applications are accepted online at Paper applications may be submitted by person, fax (707-565-3770), email, or through the mail. All applications and appropriate supplemental information as outlined in the job bulletin must be RECEIVED by the time and date specified on the first page of this job announcement. Applications received after the recruitment closes will not be accepted.

The County of Sonoma values diversity and is dedicated to creating a workplace environment that provides individuals with a sense of belonging. We are committed to having a diverse workforce that is representative of the communities we serve. The County is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer where all aspects of employment are based on merit, competence, performance, and business need.

HR Analyst: BH
HR Technician: RR

IMPORTANT NOTE: Benefits described herein do not apply to Extra Help positions.

COUNTY OF SONOMA BENEFITS: GENERAL*

These are some of the excellent benefits the County offers:

Paid Time Off: Competitive vacation and sick leave accruals; 12 paid holidays, and an additional 8 floating holiday hours per year; and may be eligible for up to 8 weeks (320 hours) of Paid Parental Leave after 12 months of County employment.

Health Plan: Choice of five health plans (a PPO, EPO, HMO, and two deductible HMOs) with a County contribution toward the premium (the contribution amount varies by bargaining unit. For specific details, please refer to the applicable MOU). A County contribution to a Health Reimbursement Arrangement is available for some bargaining units.

Retirement: Fully integrated with Social Security. For more information regarding eligibility, retirement contributions, and reciprocity with prior public service, please visit

IRS 457 Plan: Pre-tax employee contribution up to the IRS annual maximum.

Retiree Medical: County contribution to a Health Reimbursement Arrangement to help fund post-retirement employee health insurance/benefits.

Plus excellent dental, vision, disability, life insurance, professional development, and more.

For answers to specific questions regarding the employment process and more details about benefits or retirement, please contact Human Resources at (707) 565-2331. Additional details about benefit and compensation packages can be found in the MOUs located at For specific information about health and welfare benefits including plan options, coverage, and premium amounts go to or, contact the Human Resources’ Risk Management-Benefits Office at or (707) 565-2900.

*IMPORTANT NOTES: Benefits described herein do not represent a contract and may be changed without notice.

01

Please indicate if you would also be interested in future part-time or extra-help (temporary, intermittent, or seasonal employment) positions should they become available. Check all that apply.

• I would also like to be considered for future part-time positions
• I would also like to be considered for future extra-help positions
• I am only interested in full-time positions

02

Please indicate if you are interested in bilingual positions, and your level of proficiency.

• Yes, I have basic (conversational) English/Spanish bilingual skills
• Yes, I have fluent (reading, writing, and conversational) English/Spanish bilingual skills
• No, I do not have English/Spanish bilingual skills, and/or I do not wish to be considered for a bilingual position

03

How did you first learn about this opportunity?

• Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG)
• CalJobs
• Careers in Government
• College or University
• Craigslist
• DiversityJobs
• Employee of Sonoma County
• Facebook
• Glassdoor
• Google Jobs
• GovernmentJobs.com
• Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Sonoma County
• Indeed
• Instagram
• Job Fair
• La Voz
• Latino Service Providers
• LinkedIn
• Los Cien
• Minority Organization or Group
• Press Democrat
• sonoma-county.org/www.yourpath2sonomacounty.org
• Sonoma County Human Resources Office
• Sonoma County Job Line
• Start Here!
• Twitter
• Veterans Services Office
• Women’s Organization or Group
• Workplace Diversity
• Other Internet Site
• Other Publication

04

For this supplemental question and all subsequent questions provide sufficient information to allow for a thorough evaluation of your qualifications. Responses to supplemental questions will be scored using specific criteria and may be reviewed by hiring managers.

Please describe your education, training, and experience reviewing, processing, and maintaining fiscal transactions, accounts, statistical data, and/or records.

• List the names of any related courses and/or trainings you may have completed
• For each position referenced, include your job title, employer’s name, employment dates (mm/yy-mm/yy), and a description of your primary duties

05

Please provide an example of a time you had to reconcile a complex bookkeeping or accounting error(s). Describe the situation, parties impacted, your role, software utilized, and the outcome.

06

These positions require considerable computer skills and proficiency in multiple software applications. Please detail the type of tasks you have completed using the following:

• Excel
• Financial/Accounting systems
• Outlook
• Word or other word-processing applications
• Other relevant programs (please describe)

Required Question